Virgin Islands to Panama in March?

[mnschwarz]

Hi guys!

Wifey and I are looking at purchasing a 51' mono in the Virgin Islands and sailing her back to Panama maybe next month (early March), give or take. Just doing a little prelim research to see if our idea is feasible at the moment and would love to hear from those with more experience.

We have some sailing experience with longer coastal passages but nothing like the ~10 days crossing is we were to go direct. I also believe it can be an uncomfortable / rough passage even in March? I'm fine with this but Wifey is very much a champagne sailor so trying to make it as comfortable (and safe) as possible for her.

We're thinking we would spend a week or two to get used to the new boat and ensure it's ready for the trip before heading the slightly longer, northern route island hopping. Idea is to sail south of Puerto Rico, DR, and Jamaica and then on to Panama.

So first question is if anyone sees any major issues with this plan in March?
Second would be if it's recommended to stop over in the Colombian islands of either Providencia or San Andres, or just go direct to Panama from Jamaica?

Appreciate any info from those who have done a similar route! Cheers guys!

[donradcliffe]

Take another experienced sailor as crew. You and wifey will thank me if you do.

Make sure you shake down the autopilot and offshore comms before you leave.

March is fine, and the northern route avoids the permanent low over Columbia with its stronger winds.

I have stopped in Providencia, and enjoyed my stay. I have never stopped in Jamaica, but based on talking to people who did, I would give it a pass.

[belizesailor]

I agree with Don, thats normally a longish but easy run.

Have someone ashore do weather routing for you. Either a pro or very experienced amateur. Only 2 things to avoid really: late season cold fronts and the area of strong winds/big seas off Colombia.

Recruit offshore experienced captain/crew.

Acquire offshore comms. At least an InReach or similar.

Safety gear: harnesses + tethers, jack lines, life raft, EPIRB, signal ordinance, etc...

If March doesnt work out then you can run this route until hurricane season. During hurricane season you can drop further south (like Grenada) and sail West parallel to the S American coast with minimal worries about hurricanes. Also an easy sail, with great stops in the ABCs and Colombia.

The area of off Colombia starts to settle down about April. It remains less active until about Dec-Jan. See Pilot Charts or similar for monthly trends. As a result, its common to cross between Colombia and Panama during Summer months.

I have stopped in Jamaica. It is a beautiful island, but I did not enjoy the civil tensions and constant hassles/hustles. These are very prevelant once you leave any gated enclave like Port Antonio.

[Kettlewell]

Providencia is a great stop on the way to Panama. But, my biggest concern would be doing a long, possibly somewhat uncomfortable passage on a new-to-you boat. No matter what boat you purchase I find it takes a couple of years to get to know it, and the bigger the boat the more to get to know. For example, one boat I purchased had an air leak in the fuel system that manifested itself mysteriously at intervals resulting in a no-start situation. Took me months to figure it out by process of elimination that it had to be a cracked on-engine fuel filter housing, even though I couldn't see any sign of leakage until I took the unit off the engine and examined it under magnifying glasses. How about putzing around the VI and Puerto Rico for a month or two at least before heading offshore down to Panama? I wouldn't worry about tropical systems until June.

[mnschwarz]

Awesome info. Thanks guys! Sounds like it’s well possible for us then. Will definitely look in to an extra crew member to assist as well.

[boatman61]

Did SXM to Colon direct in 7 days on a 54ftr... only negative was light variable winds on the last 24hrs of the trip.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Did SXM to Colon direct in 7 days on a 54ftr... only negative was light variable winds on the last 24hrs of the trip.

Yeah, near Panama the Trade Winds are seasonal...otherwise light & variable. What month was your crossing?

[svrecess]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

The area of off Colombia starts to settle down about April. It remains less active until about Dec-Jan.

I know poster is going west, but last year, I had a nice panama to Windward passage sail starting April 28, somewhere around 15 knots for most of it and lower wind after we went past Jamaica. Not long after that, it started blowing 30+ for weeks in the Caribbean. So just a word of caution, the trades do pick up at the beginning of summer for a bit, and our weather router said to expect that as well. It seemed to happen earlier than expected last year, so don't wait too long. We were going north, so it matter a lot more for us.